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Dictionary of Vocational Psychology

Classification Systems, Occupational

Systems for the classification of occupations according to characteristics that support matching of individuals to jobs. Multiple systems have been developed over the centuries, dating to ancient times, with the earliest known examples dating to at least the fifth century BCE in Greece and China, and earlier in India if one counts the origins of the caste system as an occupational classification system. Modern classification systems include O*Net, the Guide for Occupational Exploration, and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, all from the U.S. government, and the Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes (Gottfredson & Holland, 1989). Without such systems, the amount of occupational information available to individuals would be so large as to make decision-making difficult. Developers of computer-assisted career guidance systems often develop "crosswalks" to translate information generated in reference to one occupational classification system to another.

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